Oliver Wright, Owner at The Bed Post, talks about recent investments, future plans and why the relationship between manufacturer and retailer needs to go back to being more traditional.
Meet Oliver
Being the owner of a small to medium retail business means that I wear multiple hats from unloading lorries when necessary, buying decisions, marketing discussions, book keeping – including the accounts for the business and, something I enjoy very much, talking and selling beds to customers.
Recent investments?
A new initiative is encouraging the sales staff to spend a morning out delivering, helping them to see the challenges our delivery staff face and encouraging them to ask questions regarding access at the point of sale. This is really helping sales staff understand the full picture from outside the store and final touchpoint in a customer’s journey with us.
On delivery, we have a new van livery across our fleet of vehicles, which looks fantastic. We’ve installed air conditioning units in three of our shops to ensure perfect shopping conditions for our customers and working conditions for our staff.
We also carry out performance reviews in an effort to reward success and discover any areas of potential development. This year has seen our highest conversion rate on mattress protectors and is a result of a number of years of training.
Future plans?
We have lots of plans lined up for the future, which includes the refurbishment of our Petts Wood shop. We’re continually looking at the expansion of our business too. Finding the right location, the right shop size for the right price is constantly on our agenda and we’re actively searching for potential locations.
What is your mission?
The Bed Post has more than 35-years of experience offering the best quality beds, frames, mattresses & bedroom furniture to customers all across Kent, London and the South East. At our showroom in Crayford, we stock a great selection of high-quality beds, mattresses, headboards, and bedroom furniture, including bespoke items made-to-order. You will find the best brands on the market at low prices, including Harrison, Kaymed, and Relyon, guaranteeing quality and great deals.
We offer delivery of purchases straight into the required room, provided access is available. Our aim is to provide all customers with the highest level of service and 100% satisfaction.
The Bed Post opened for business in April 1987 in a modest showroom in Lee Green and has steadily grown to a chain of five stores. Our growth has been achieved largely by way of personal recommendation from satisfied customers who have spread the word.
We now have stores across Kent, London & Surrey which are located in Tower retail park Crayford, Queensway in Petts Wood, Elm Parade in Sidcup, London Road, Dunton Green, Sevenoaks and Church Street in Reigate. We have developed a method of rapidly supplying bed frames, mattresses and furniture to both contracted & retail customers all over the South East.
Our focus has never changed. We strive to deliver a great product, at the best possible price via the best possible service. We truly do have a desire to help people sleep well. We work tirelessly to improve our instore presentation to help deliver the best possible customer experience.
On sustainability, what is your business doing on this topic?
We’re always looking at implementing greener practices with a number of our shops seeing the lighting changed to LED, which has reduced energy usage. Our new air conditioning units are a far greener alternative to previous systems too, while we have also taken the decision to offer a ‘Not for Profit’ disposal service.
We cover our costs that allows us to dispose of a customer’s old mattress at a very affordable price. Mattresses are then recycled in partnership with our local authority. This helps reduce the chances of mattress fly tipping.
How has recent business been? What trends are you noticing?
Although we are seeing a decline in footfall, our average order value has seen a significant increase resulting in a very positive year to date sales performance. All our branches have seen an increase in turnover with standout performances coming from our website producing an increase of 29.6%. As a company we have seen a year on year growth of over 10%.
With footfall proving difficult for many retailers, we are constantly working on driving customers to our shops. We took the decision to further invest in our leaflet distribution campaigns, which has seen a very positive response. For the first time we used Royal Mail for our distribution, coming at an additional cost but guaranteeing a quicker delivery. These changes have resulted in the best ever return on investment.
This year has also seen us grow our support for local schools and charities. We have started to see some real traction with our school donation leaflet. This leaflet offers the customer a discount in store which is then mirrored as a donation to the PTA. We also continue to support some of our local charities, Mind and St Catherines Hospice to name but a few.
What would you change in the industry?
I would love to see companies stick to what they have traditionally done. Manufacturers should manufacture and supply products to retailers, and retailers should sell the products they have purchased from these suppliers. Retailers have supported many suppliers over many years, just to then find a supplier making the decision to start selling product direct to the public.
What challenges do you currently face and how are you overcoming these?
We are seeing a very positive sales performance coupled with an improved margin. With the ever-increasing costs that many businesses are facing, our challenge is to ensure we manage these higher costs to maintain profitability.
Marketing of a business has changed significantly over the past 5-10 years. Some of the more ‘traditional’ ways are becoming far less effective. Finding alternative, cost-effective marketing methods is proving difficult in an ever-changing world.
Do you have any staff you would like to pay special thanks or recognition to and why?
Our entire team buy into the ethos that we want to help people ‘sleep well’. We all believe that a good night’s sleep can help deliver a good day, and our job is to assist in delivering just that. Our team are brilliant at doing this and without their consistent hard work and willingness to go above and beyond, our business would not be the same.
Why do you think customers choose your business?
Having been established since 1987 we have built considerable loyalty from our customers. Second, and in some cases, third generation families shop with us. The longevity of our business helps towards creating a reputation, but this takes a sustained and dedicated approach to customer service.
Some of our sales team have been in the industry for more than 35 years helping us become a ‘go to’ retailer offering the expertise that is required for customers who can find the choice available a little daunting.
